The National Medicines Safety Agency announces measures to limit the sale of paracetamol, which is useful in the current health crisis in the country.
In full containment set up to stop the spread of the coronavirus in France, the National Medicines Safety Agency just announced on Tuesday 17th March 2020 that paracetamol would be rationed as of Wednesday 18th March 2020.
From Wednesday, a single box of paracetamol (500 mg or 1g) can be dispensed without a prescription by anyone with no symptoms. In case of symptoms, two boxes can be delivered.
The sale of paracetamol suspended on the internet
In a press release, the ANSM invites patients as well as professionals to “respect the rules of good use” and warns “about the need not to prescribe, nor dispense or unnecessarily store drugs based on paracetamol”.
Paracetamol remains accessible without prescription in pharmacies, and it should be preferred in case of pain and/or fever, paying attention to overdose, recalls the agency of the drug. But its online sale is suspended, like ibuprofen and aspirin.
A few days ago, anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen, were the subject of an alert . They could indeed worsen certain situations in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
⚠️ #COVIDー19 | La prise d’anti-inflammatoires (ibuprofène, cortisone, …) pourrait être un facteur d’aggravation de l’infection. En cas de fièvre, prenez du paracétamol.
Si vous êtes déjà sous anti-inflammatoires ou en cas de doute, demandez conseil à votre médecin.— Olivier Véran (@olivierveran) March 14, 2020
In the event of treatment currently in progress, the ANSM invites patients to contact their treating physician.
